Chapter Ten:
Rebuilding
Diane sits and waits in the boardroom, while Owen is going over the results of her blood tests. Jack and Gwen sit on the sofa in the R&R area, giving the pilot a bit of privacy to absorb what she's been told.
"She's going to be out there with all that information. Can't we give her a dose of ret-con?" Gwen asks.
Jack knows from the other rift victims that Gwen's idea won't work. Not wanting to share this information, he responds, "She's going to be grounded for a while, and right now all she has is her memories."
"Aren't you worried that she might talk to other people about us?"
"She won't," Jack replies firmly.
"How do you know?"
"Because she knows that she'll lose her freedom if she does talk. We'll continue to monitor her movements and her communications for the time being until we are sure that she is settled and not a threat to security, and there's nowhere to hide from us, baby," the Captain says with a shameless glee.
Gwen laughs, "So, I guess the weekend isn't an entire wash. We've still got all afternoon to enjoy ourselves."
"Barring any other disasters."
"Knock on wood."
Jack yawns and stretches his arms. "You know, I think I might head over to Toshiko's flat."
"Where I'm sure Rory's holding court," Gwen adds.
Jack chuckles softly, "Ever since she was a little girl, she's had this habit of walking into places as if she owns them."
"Ahh. I wonder where she gets that from," Gwen teases. "I wonder if Tosh can handle another member to her party."
"Maybe if you bring ice cream. Make sure it's strawberry," Jack tells her. "What about Rhys?"
"I won't stay too long. I promised him that we'd spice things up."
"Well, hello, Miss Cooper. If you're open to suggestions, I can recommend a few things that Ianto really likes…"
Blushing, Gwen shakes her head. "Really, I'm okay."
"You sure? I don't mean to brag, but I can make Ianto forget his name, his age, what country he's in, what planet he's on…"
"Yes, I'm sure. Rhys might be a bit too vanilla to play at your level."
Jack shrugs. "Hey, I offered."
Owen enters from his lab.
"Off to Tosh's, then," Gwen says, grabbing her things and exiting through the cog door.
"Her blood's clean and the blood cell count looks good -"
"You can hand in that report on Monday. You had a rough day yesterday. Get some rest," Jack tells him.
"Jack, about Rory and me…"
"That's none of my business," Jack replies with a sharp edge to his voice.
"I just wanted to let you know that there's nothing to tell," the doctor says.
"If you do pursue something with her, I hope that I can trust you to be cautious," Jack says sternly. "I'm sure that I don't need to tell you that she is special, and that the connections she makes with others are very intimate."
Owen nods, masking his anxiety. "Yeah, sure. I should go up to the boardroom and tell Diane she's free to go."
Owen walks into the boardroom where Diane sits at the table with her head in her hands, "Everything looks fine. We've got what we needed from you, and I'm sure that you are anxious to get out of here."
Diane glances up at him and nods, "Well, you wouldn't blame me for that, would you? And I am a bit hungry."
"I know a little place that serves decent Italian food. You up for it?"
"I thought you were done with me," Diane says in a barely audible voice.
"There are things I did, things I said…"
"It's been a difficult day, Owen. I think I need some time to myself, if it's all the same to you."
"I understand."
Diane stands up and leaves. Owen closes his eyes and leans on the table until his heart beats at a normal rhythm once again. He had let her go without apologizing. He opens his eyes and turns off the lights before heading out the door.
xxxx
When Jack arrives at Tosh's building, Ianto - now dressed in a very flattering pair of jeans - stands at the front door, carrying bags of groceries. He doesn't notice Jack sneak right behind him, allowing the Captain to surprise him with a small squeeze of his ass.
A very startled and angry Ianto turns around. "Oi!" When he sees it was his lover, he sighs, "I thought you were some pervert."
"I've been called that," Jack says with a wide grin.
The Welshman corrects himself, "I thought you were some random pervert."
"Just me. Love the jeans," he replies as he pushes the buzzer.
"Yes?" Tosh says over the speaker.
"Miss Sato, your food has arrived," Ianto says.
"Come up," Tosh replies.
When Ianto enters the flat, he jokes, "I found this guy outside, wandering the streets all by himself with nowhere to go. Can we keep him?"
Gwen and Rory giggle, as Tosh says, "As long as he's housebroken."
"He's housebroken, but he excites easily and that may prove to be embarrassing," the Welshman admits.
"My neighbor had a terrier like," Tosh muses.
Jack puts down the bags, throws his arm around the younger man, and licks the man's cheek. Ianto rolls his eyes, but enjoys it as well.
"I hear this is the place to be this afternoon," Jack says.
"I can't recall a time when my flat has ever been the place to be," Tosh responds. "I should get sick more often."
"Who is up for The Umbrellas of Cherbourg?" Ianto asks, pulling out a DVD.
The alien jumps up and down, while raising her hand, "I am! I am!"
Rory and Ianto sing a line from the movie in duet, "J'taime! No me quitte pas!"
"The Umbrellas of Cherbourg it is," Jack chuckles.
Toshiko reads the summary on the back of the box. "They sing throughout the whole movie?"
"Every single bit of dialogue," Ianto says with a happy grin.
Which leads to another anecdote from the Captain, "I once had an experience like that. I was hit by an alien ray gun and didn't stop singing for three days."
Gwen shakes her head, saying, "If we ever find a gun like that, don't point it at me."
"Don't worry," Jack assures her. "I know who my first target would be." He winks at Ianto.
Tosh watches the rest of the group arrange their snacks, witnessing the transformation of her quiet little flat into the boisterous center of activity. She hit by a feeling of bliss, knowing that they are all there for her. Rory even makes sure that she doesn't have to lift a finger and takes care of every detail. And nobody in the room is faking their contentment nor glancing at their watches wondering when it's time to leave. How long has she been waiting for a moment like this one?
Jack watches Rory complain about the bland taste of the rice pudding and feeds Ianto a small taste with her spoon. The Captain is struck by the intimacy of the action, and yet their relationship has always been so clear. While they are affectionate with each other, they are unmistakably just friends with none of the sexual tension that often plagues male/female relationships, and they made it look easy. In fact if anyone asked them if they were a couple, they would probably burst with laughter and continue to chuckle about it days later. When he looks at Gwen, he wonders if they will ever reach that stage where they can sing duets without appearing like lovers, where he can hug her without wondering if it was too long.
Owen enters Tosh's flat just as they are about to begin the movie and mumbles about something about being late. However, the scent of beer coming from his clothes lets everyone know where he's been. Gwen offers to share her popcorn with him which he accepts. Wary of Jack's watchful eye, he sits across the room from Rory, who lies on the floor with her head propped up by pillows. He tries to concentrate on the movie, listening to the music and reading the subtitles since he was never good at languages and French always eluded him, but the hem of Rory's t-shirt is raised slightly, revealing a sliver of skin across her stomach which drives Owen to distraction. He thinks to himself, What did Ianto mean when he said that she was aware of her options? Did she meet someone already?
"Owen?" Gwen whispers, pointing to the bowl in his lap. "Do you need more popcorn?"
xxxx
On Monday evening, after arranging Diane's housing, Ianto returns to the hub and fixes coffee for Owen, Gwen and himself as Jack looks on wistfully from the greenhouse.
"I miss orange juice in the morning," Tosh says to him sympathetically as she takes a clipping from an alien plant for analysis.
"Well, it's just a small price to pay to prevent a perforated ulcer," Jack tells her. He steps out to the walkway and calls out, "Ianto! I'm gonna need to see you for debriefing." Tosh snickers, but the Captain says, "You know, that statement was actually work related."
"Sorry. Couldn't help myself," Tosh says, gaining her composure. She leaves the room as soon as Ianto enters carrying a coffee mug.
"How'd it go with Miss Holmes?"
"Everything went smoothly," the Welshman reports. "She's bought some new clothes, a few personal items and groceries, and she's settled in. Tomorrow, I'm sending her a few leads for employment."
"Give her a couple of days to adjust. This is a new life for her."
"You know, I was curious…"
"Yeah?"
"When you found yourself stuck on Earth in a different time, how did you adjust?"
"Not well," Jack replies. "I felt abandoned and, for a time, I was pretty angry. I drank a lot, and those days where lost in a haze, but I do remember passing out and waking up in strange beds. Sometimes, I woke up with a hangover to the sounds of gun blasts from angry fathers, husbands, wives. I reverted back to conning people to get money, but I was pretty rusty and ended up being killed on a couple of occasions."
Ianto winces.
"But I realized that was stuck here," Jack continues. "Once I got that into my head, I began to settle in. I started to search for meaning in my life, and after years of compromise, after years of waiting for The Doctor, I was lucky enough to discover that I had found it - right here in this place. I've been very fortunate to have seen so many wonders of the galaxy and to have met so many people, but I know that there's no other place that I'd rather be than this place at this time."
"Do you think she'll be as lucky?"
"I don't know. I hope."
"She seems… lost. It's as if her heart's been broken."
"I can't let her back out there. She could get herself killed or screw up the time continuum…"
Ianto touches his Captain's face gently and says, "I know. I'm not doubting your decision. It's just a bit hard to watch."
Jack takes the Welshman's hand and kisses his fingertips before kissing his lips. Jack chuckles briefly before letting his tongue slip into Ianto's mouth so that he can savor the kiss. As the kisses begin more intense, the younger man pulls away. "They might see us."
"But you taste so good," Jack purrs.
Ianto laughs and takes another sip of coffee. "One more kiss, but that's it. This is a place of work."
xxxx
On Wednesday, Jack enters the hanger where Rory has begun repair work on Diane's plane. Although the work is unavoidably dirty, the alien is quite meticulous about her work. All her tools are laid out according to use and size as neatly as a surgeon's tools. She has a chalkboard on the wall with a checklist of problems that need to be sorted out all listed in a logical order. When she greets him, he notices that she has her name embroidered on her coveralls, which are tailored to fit her and show signs of frequent use.
"I am so proud of you right now," he tells her.
With a sheepish grin, she replies, "Aww, it's just a plane, but thank you."
"I also never got a chance to thank you for organizing the party for Tosh on Saturday."
"It wasn't like it was planned. I just thought it would be nice to keep her company."
"It was fun, and it meant a lot to her." Jack says softly. "You really are your father's daughter. Nobody could organize an impromptu get together like he could. And he was so energetic and carefree. It's really no wonder why your mother loved him so much."
"They were so lucky to have each other."
"They always worried about you."
"You mean, falling in love with a human and then losing that person?" she asks. "Is it worth it?"
Jack cups her face in his hands. "After you lose someone, you'll have days when the pain is so terrible that you can't function. There will be days when it's nearly impossible to find any sort of consolation."
"But, what's the point of being in this world without love, without companionship?"
He holds her tightly, knowing what life has in store for her. She will search for connections with other people; she will love because that is in her nature; and, consequently, she will suffer even more than she already has with the loss of her parents.
Diane enters the hanger. "I didn't mean to interrupt. Ianto told me that you were here, working on the Sky Gypsy."
Rory steps away from Jack and waves to her. "Come on in."
Diane walks to her plane and runs her hand along the length of its body. She looks around the room and feels as thought she's walked into a surgical theater rather than a repair shop with her best friend as the patient. She takes a deep breath and faces the young engineer. "You seem to know what you're doing. Do you fly?"
"Nope," she says. "I design and build robots, actually. To accomplish that I've just studied all sorts of engines and hydraulic systems."
"You must spend a lot of time in a lab," the pilot says.
"Well, yes, of course, but I also perform practical tests out in the field," Rory says proudly.
Diane nods. "You seem very young to have a doctorate."
"I earned it at the age of twenty-four."
"You must be a genius, then," Diane says. She paces among the parts of her plane. "And I understand that you have a family that is well connected. You must be doing well for yourself."
"I am," Rory says with a small laugh. "And yet, it's not really easy to be a woman in the field of engineering. Despite the fact that we're paving the road to the future, it's still very much a boy's club."
"Try being a pilot in the 1950's," Diane replies. "Try being told that you belong in the kitchen."
"Or being leered at because you're the only female in a room full of men who spend most of their time at work and are without love lives."
"Or being detested for flying faster and farther than any man."
"Or being resented for being more innovative."
Diane smiles for the first time since she's entered the hanger. "The things we've put up with for what we love…"
"I do love my work, but I always bear in mind the advice my adoptive father gave me," Rory says.
"What's that?"
"Never live your life so that all that you're left with is just a big hunk of metal. He used to tell me that when he thought I was working too hard," Rory says as she puts on a leather apron and a pair of work gloves
"You must understand that she is more than just a plane. She represents my freedom."
"Don't worry. I'll do my best," Rory puts on a visor and picks up a blowtorch. "Now if you'll stand back…"
It eases Diane's mind that someone truly competent is looking over her plane, but it's difficult for her to watch a stranger lay her hands on her baby even if she's respectful. She stays for another hour until Rory decides that it's time to call it a day, and the engineer even offers to take her to her new home. Yet, when Diane reaches her building, the loneliness begins to weigh on her. Instead of going in, as soon as Rory motors away, she finds herself going towards a different and possibly hostile destination.
xxxx
Owen places a new dressing on the large scratch on his side from the Weevil attack from the previous day when his doorbell rings. He pulls on a clean shirt and strolls to the door with the idea that someone made a mistake and is actually looking for his neighbor. There's no way to hide his astonishment when he sees Diane standing in his doorway.
"I should have called," she says.
"Well, you're here now. You want to come in?"
"Actually, I think I'd like that Italian meal."
Owen can feel his heart leap up to his throat, but he grabs his wallet and keys anyway.